This disclosure relates to electronic design automation tools. Designers use automated electronic design automation (EDA) tools to rapidly and efficiently design devices, functions and integrated circuits (ICs). An example of such a tool is the “LAKER3™” custom design tools suite by Synopsys of Mountain View, Calif.
The efficiency of designing new ICs is greatly enhanced by the user of reusable standard cells for devices such as transistors and diodes. If a designer wishes to modify a previously designed device in a device library, the designer inputs the name of the device into the EDA tool. Using the name, the EDA tool can retrieve the device from the device library, and load it into a device editor, so the designer can modify one or more layers. If the designer does not know the name of a device in the device library, the designer draws all of the layers of the IC (e.g., using a stylus or pointing device). The EDA tool can extract the polygons from the user's drawings.